Bond
by Saphira112
Summary: Bumblebee remembers the very moment the bond had started between him and Sam. Hinted Bee/Sam, but nothing too glaring. Movie-verse, post-war.


It had been at _that_ moment. Bumblebee remembered it well.

The moment the boy named Sam Witwicky had gotten his driver's seat, sitting back and putting his hands on the wheel. Bumblebee's form had only been a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro with faded paint, the worn seats and everything would be considered an old cheap piece of scrap, but Sam had seen more. He had sat back, observing everything and accepting it all immediately. He knew there was more than just a scrap heap shell he was looking at.

In a way, to the robot, it seemed as if Sam knew there was indeed more to him than met the eye, even if he didn't know what yet.

Bumblebee still remembered the thumb going over his Autobot crest in the middle of the steering wheel. The bond had started then. Bumblebee had felt it. He knew he had found the boy, knew the one he was supposed to guard had accepted him – despite the salesman's attempt to drive him off for not paying over four grand – and knew he had to do everything he could to stay with the teenager without revealing himself before the right time.

The Autobot hated to admit it, but when he had found out Sam was only trying to get a car to get a girlfriend and be noticed, it made his Spark tingle with what he knew to be an emotional twinge of pain. He didn't know why.

He was only a soldier, sent to protect the Witwicky boy, and be his guardian through everything, no matter what. He was not to expect compensation – not that he truly wanted it – and put up with anything Sam threw at him; kicking him when he tried to help him get Mikaela by breaking down in a romantic place, as was suggested by the internet, or smacking him for turning on the radio to set the mood.

He had just been a car to him. Nothing more.

The thought sort of… hurt. But Bee knew that the fact was more or less not true. The first time he had transformed in front of Sam was when Barricade had chased them through the day and he had been left with no choice. He had tried not to transform until the other Autobots had arrived to earth, but it could've have been helped. Sam had watched him and when Bee had glanced back for that brief moment to see the reaction, he had seen it flicker in Sam's eyes.

An apology. It was almost hidden behind the shock and slight fear in those deep eyes, but Bee had seen it. And Bee knew that Sam understood.

Their bond continued to grow.

When Bumblebee had caught Sam and Mikaela after their fall from the bridge, only to end up being shot at and pinned now, the only thought that went through his mind was not to get the glasses to Optimus or anything about the mission. It was to get Sam away from the police men who were dragging him away. He didn't know why, but for a few split seconds, all he thought about was Sam. The cold spray on his gears pained him and trying to cry out with his damaged vocal cords for them to let Sam and Mikaela go fell upon deaf ears.

And then it happened. Sam had broken free of the other humans and rushed in an attempt to help _him_, knocking down at the people who tried to freeze him solid. Bee had felt his Spark pulse at the futile notion, despite his processors shutting down from the cold. His optics had flickered in recognition, knowing what he felt, but not truly understanding it.

After the battle in Mission City, it felt as if their bond was even stronger. How, the robot wasn't exactly sure about. It made him think about Spark bonding, but Sam was human and therefore had no Spark. Yet, it felt just a level under that type of bond, so to speak. Even if Sam didn't realize it, Bee had.

Yet Bee couldn't help but wish to Primus that the human boy would someday realize the connection between them…

"Bumblebee?"

The said robot snapped his head up in surprise. He had changed into his original robot form, settled on the hill behind the Witwicky house that was mostly hidden from view, but the others knew he went up there to think sometimes. He had activated his hologram self, a young teenage boy about the same size as Sam, with short blonde hair and two black strands streaking back on his head. His hologram just wore plain jeans and a black and white t-shirt. The hologram – as well as Bee himself – had been staring off into space and thinking too hard to notice that he had been snuck upon by _Sam_ no less, who had climbed the hill already and was walking to his side. Sam stood beside the tree next to the robot and was looking up at his hologram.

"You all right?" the teenager asked.

The hologram nodded. "Yes, Sam, everything is all right."

Sam frowned. "I didn't ask if everything was okay; I was asking if _you_ okay." Sometimes Sam was more intelligent than Bee gave him credit for.

"I am fine," Bee replied, knowing the white lie wouldn't be noticed as well, despite the very much human hologram of him. "What are you doing up here, Sam?"

The teenager shrugged. "Figure you'd need some company…" Sam looked off to stare out at the view. "You always come up here a lot."

Bee looked back at the teenager, the hologram's bright blue eyes regarding Sam for a moment before he absently nodded. "Yes, I like to think."

"About what?" Sam asked, looking back up at his transformed car and the hologram. The breeze was picking up a little, blowing at his loose hoodie, but it didn't affect Bee's hologram form.

Bumblebee said nothing for a moment. Sam truly was smarter than he gave the teenager credit for. He seemed to know that something was wrong, but didn't ask directly. That comforted Bumblebee a little and his hologram let out a sigh. "Everything and anything."

Sam raised both eyebrows, trying to process it, before shrugging and letting out a 'hmm' noise. He didn't seem to understand, but Bee couldn't tell. Sam then waved his hand in front of him. "So you're thinking about the sun, fast food, and cartoons all at the same time?"

Bee chuckled. "I suppose you could say that."

Sam nodded, as if telling himself he had done well, before he let out a long sigh and glanced up at the robot with the sitting hologram. The way Bee was sitting reminded Sam much of himself when he was depressed and thinking of something that made him sad. The brown-haired teen knew there was something wrong.

Huffing a sigh, Sam took his hands out of his pockets and without warning, began to climb onto his robot using one of the legs as a hoist to help him up. The hologram shifted and looked back with slight surprise as Sam began climbing up to him.

Sam let out a long breath as he finally reached the shoulder where the hologram sat and he looked into the bright blue eyes, very much like the robot's optics. Their faces were close and the hologram – the figure that should've been just light and projected noise, but was more solid than that – could almost feel Sam's breath on his cheeks. How was it he couldn't feel the wind with the hologram, yet could feel Sam's breathing – the shift in air currents around them – and the warmth that came with it? Bee almost felt that if he tilted his head and leaned forward just an inch, he would feel Sam's lips on his own and he absently wondered how it would feel.

Sam just stared into Bee's eyes. He knew there was something wrong; he knew Bee was thinking of something he didn't want to share… or probably _couldn't_ share. "Bee, what's wrong?"

The hologram seemed to flicker for a moment. The look on Bee's face was similar to what a child looked like when they got caught doing something bad. "Nothing, Sam. I'm just pensive." He glanced off.

Sam moved and went into his car's line of sight. "Oh, no you don't. Don't gimme that. I can tell when something's bugging you. Is it something to do with the other Autobots? Did something happen? Did—"

Bee placed a finger to Sam's lips, shushing him. "Enough."

Sam looked very surprised. Bee put his hand down as soon as the shock crossed Sam's face. The teen blinked and a deep flush tinted his cheeks. "Erm... s-sorry—"

"It's all right," Bumblebee interrupted before he glanced off to the view again.

Sam bit his lip, rocking back and forth a little, thinking he had somehow pissed his Camaro off. "Umm…" Why was he stuttering? It was worse than when he had tried to talk to Mikaela for the first time. Why was that? "Did… did I make you mad, Bee?"

Bumblebee forced a smile on his face and shook his head. "No."

Silence. Then…

"Sam? Do you remember the first time we met?"

Sam tilted his head, slightly confused. "You mean at that shitty dealer? Yeah. Why?"

Bee still kept that forced smile on his face, but with his solid hologram and his sudden feelings that made his Spark pulsate, the smile seemed somewhat bittersweet. A true smile, but a sad one. He glanced over at Sam. "Never mind…"

"Wait, what is it, Bee?" Sam was moving closer, trying to figure out Bumblebee if he weren't going to say anything.

Bee shook his head again. The two black streaks – almost like true bumblebee antennae – flew around his cheeks, framing it, before suddenly shooting back behind the hologram's ears. "I was just thinking about how hard things would've been had that day not happened."

Sam blinked, not sure of the tone Bee was using was indicating a white lie or the truth he had been looking for. It sounded reasonable. The teen thought about the car's words before he exhaled a long, slow breath, and leaned back against Bee's robot neck, staring at the hologram. "Yeah, things would've been much harder. I mean, they were hard already, but if dad hadn't mentioned about getting a car, then whew… Guess it was fate again, like Optimus said…"

Bee smiled. His smile wasn't sad anymore. It was a smile of recognition and understanding. Because Bee knew exactly what he meant. "Yes. Fate has a way of working things…"

The two looked back out together as the sun slowly began to drift down, alighting the sky with purples and golds, laced in pink and orange linings.

If that were true, then perhaps Bumblebee didn't need to hear the words from Sam's mouth to indicate that the teenager knew of the bond. Throughout the countless battles, they had felt the bond to keep to each other without the usage of words. As friends, as comrades, and even as brothers not bound by blood.

So for Bumblebee, if Fate truly did work in a way hey didn't' expect and if Fate would give Bumblebee a break from everything just once, then perhaps the robot didn't need to hear it from Sam right now. He normally would've attempted to push answers out of the teenager, but he wouldn't. He cared too much. Yet as long as they had their bond between them, starting back before they'd even think of knowing each other, Bee knew he could wait.

Their bond kept them alive in each other's emotions. Despite how cheesy that sounded, Bee knew it to be true.

He held it close to his Spark.


End file.
